Smile
by yiseunggi
Summary: My world is black. No light can ever reach such a dark place. It's tied up by a heavy chain so it won't break. But bit by bit it slowly starts to open up to the new world with the help from... the sun.
1. Prologue

**This is the first GumixAkaito fanfic! Whoooooot! I feel proud of myself. :) AkaitoxGumi doesn't sound so bad, right? Right?**

**Oh yeah, just a little FYI, Gumi isn't in the story yet. She'll appear in the next chapter!**

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><p><strong>Prologue<strong>

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><p>When I was little, I was alone. My world was black with no sight of light. The kids in my neighborhood always made fun of me and I would reply back by hitting them. They called me a bully and retreated in defeat. My brother, Kaito, would come with an ice pack and a bag of bandages to treat my wounds. This was a everyday routine; I was used to it. I had no room for the so-called "love" in my heart.<p>

But that all changed when I met Luka.

Luka wasn't just a normal girl. No. In fact, she was a very special girl. She was an angel who accepted me for who I am. I first met her when I was seven. I was sitting in the grassy field just a couple of minutes away from my house after fighting a group of gangsters who ran away after I punched a guys nose as hard as I could. I dozed off until a shadow appeared and blocked the sunlight. Thinking it was the gangsters from earlier, I snapped my eyes open and growled. But I slowly loosened when I saw her pink hair flowing in the same direction the wind was blowing. Her glistening blue eyes dazzled me as she met mine. The way she laughed and spoke to me was soothing enough to melt my heart. Before I knew it, we became friends. We held hands and ran down the hill near my neighborhood everyday, laughing the whole time. I liked her. And soon, that "like" turned into "love." For a person like me, something like "love" was impossible, but this time it wasn't. I truly loved her with all my heart.

When we turned fourteen, I asked her to meet me at the field where we first met. She agreed to meet me and I was so happy that I practically skipped there. Even the neighbors were looking at me like I was retarded. I waited impatiently for her to arrive, and when I saw her coming, I saw that she wasn't alone. She was walking side by side with my brother, hand in hand, laughing to whatever stupid joke he was telling her. I stood there not sure what to do. When they finally approached me, the first thing she told me was,

"Akaito, look!" she raised the hand she was holding with my brother. "We're going out! Kaito and I are officially dating!" Her smile was like the sun showing its brightness to the whole world. I didn't say anything back. My heart was broken.

"That's...great." I gritted my teeth.

"Akaito?" Kaito reached out to pat me.

"Stop." I spat, pulling away.

That was when my world turned black once again.


	2. Chapter 1

**Did you know that I like K-Pop? No? Well, now you know.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 1<strong>

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><p><em>Bang!<em>

I winced slightly.

_Crash!_

I threw my pillow against the door.

_Thud!_

I groaned.

"Akaito~" someone called from the hallway. "It's time to eat breakfast!"

My eyes flashed open but quickly shut itself when I found myself facing the strong rays of the sun. I groaned once again as I pulled my cover over my head, wanting to sleep some more.

Ten years went by very fast after that day. It seemed slow at first, but later I got used to it. I was a horrible kid those past ten years. I didn't spend those ten years wisely.

There was a knock on my door and then a voice said, "Akaito?" It took me a while to register who's voice it belonged to. It was Kaito, my twin brother.

"Akaito, you in there?" he knocked some more. "Akaito?"

I pretended not to hear him.

"Akaito, guess what? I made breakfast!"

Seriously, why am I stuck with a kid like him?

"Akaito? Are you alive? Akaito~ Akaito~ Akaito~ Akaito!"

"I'm up!" I growled. With a little push from my abs and spine, I got up from my bed and walked toward the door. But before I approached the door, I stopped by my brown cheval mirror. Glancing at my shirtless body, you could see little scars around my sides and more on my arms. I frowned remembering all the memories from the past and positioned myself in front of the door. Once I opened it, I saw my brother in his usual white jacket with blue stripes, flashing his usual goofy grin. He grabbed my arm and dragged me to the diner table, dragging me behind.

I have no idea how in the world we're related.

"I think I made the best meal in my entire life." Kaito gushed. "The best meal yet!"

He says this everyday but it all turns out like crap. Every. Single. Time.

"It should be—" I stopped when I saw the table full of what you call "food." At that exact moment, my stomach started to feel oozy and had a icky feeling. It was like it had a life of its own and it gave me this 'don't-eat-me-or-I'll-never-forgive-you' aura. To be honest, the food that was sitting in front of me is far from how you would describe how "food" should look like. Is tofu supposed to be brown? Is rice supposed to turn yellow after heating it? Is miso soup supposed to be purple? Is this _thing_ even miso soup? What _is_ this species? Is it safe for me to even _drink_ the glass of water my brother handed me?

"Well? What are you waiting for?" Kaito handed me my chopsticks. If you live in anime world, you would see that shiny background with pink roses blooming around him like he's a prince. "Eat! I worked on it all morning to get it neat and special just for my sweet little brother!"

Sweet my ass. He probably wants me dead. And I hate it how he calls me his little brother. He's only six minutes older than me!

I slapped the chopstick down and stood up from my seat.

"Akaito?"

"Not hungry." I snapped and headed for the bathroom to get ready for work. I don't even know why I'm stuck in this house with him. I can't even live a normal day with decent food! After ten minutes of brushing my teeth and putting on a red sweater and black jeans, I grabbed my shoes from the shoe rack and slid them on.

"Akaito, is there anything you need?" Kaito called from the dinner table.

"I'm leaving." I muttered, ignoring his question. Turning the doorknob, I headed outside without waiting for my stupid brother to respond. But when I opened the front gate, my body almost crashed into a person who was standing behind the gate.

"E-e-excuse me!" the girl shouted. She bowed a full 90 degree angle and raised a basket full of bread in front of my face. "I-I just recently moved in! I hope we get a-along!"

I just stood there looking at this crazy girl without moving an inch. A few seconds past as she raised her head in curiosity.

"Um...excuse me?" she asked with a confused look.

"You are?" I responded dully.

"Gumi Megpoid! But please call me Gumi!" the green-haired girl stood up and smiled. "Pleased to meet you!" she shouted, raising her hand to shake mine.

"Akaito Shion. Akaito." I murmured back and shook her hand lightly.

"Wow, your hand is really warm!" her eyes sparkled. "It's hot like a hot pepper!"

"Uh...thanks?" I grimaced and turned to leave.

"W-wait!" she grabbed onto my jacket. "Please take this! It's a little welcome gift from me!" she shoved the basket in front of my face again like I didn't see it before.

"No."

"No, please take it!"

"No thanks."

"Please!"

"No."

"I made it!"

"I don't care."

"Please!"

"No."

"Please!"

"No!"

"Take it!"

"No!"

"Ta—"

"My little friend will gladly take it," a female voice cut in. Out of the corner of my eye I saw a lock of long pink hair and I immediately stiffened.

"Luka?" I whispered. Luka flashed her usual bright smile and grabbed the basket from the green-haired girl. She grabbed a piece of bread before handing it to me. "Take it. You might need it later."

"T-thanks." I muttered. I could feel a slight hue of pink spread around my cheeks.

"Nice to meet you! I'm Gumi!" the girl with goggles grinned at Luka.

"I'm Luka Megurine. Call me Luka," responded the pink-haired girl. She then turned to face me and asked, "Is your brother home?"

My stomach oozed even more and I felt like throwing up. "Yeah," I tried not to act disgusted. "He is." I turned to leave and headed for work, quietly munching on the bread in the process. It turned out to be a carrot cake. I didn't like it one bit. It was too sweet. After one bite, I threw it away.

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><p>Working is a pain, but if its the only way to earn money and getting away from my idiotic brother and Luka, I'll gladly accept it. I work at a little gas station about five blocks away from my house. Since it's summer vacation, it's a good time to find a job and save money for moving out once I enter college. My dream goal is to move out far away as I can from my brother and...her. No matter what, I'll move out as soon as I can. I can't stand that house any longer. It was sickening to my stomach just thinking about it. Anyway, my shift starts from ten in the morning to nine at night. My manager works the night shift, I work the day shift. He looks as if he's in his older twenty or early thirties, but he's cool guy. He calls himself Big Al. I guess he <em>is<em> pretty big to call himself "big." I mean big as in height, not the waist. It was a normal day at work and I didn't mind it at all. Refilling drinks, stocking treats, working on the cashier, and so on. The day went by pretty fast until the bell rang and entered three people. Three _very_ familiar people.

"Yo!" a certain teal-haired boy shouted. Another voice behind chorused with him. I didn't reply back and pretended as if I was deaf. "Aka-chan~" he teal-haired boy purred. "I'm here~"

"Mikuo." I clenched my teeth, trying hard to stay calm.

In short, I didn't want to see him at all.

"Don't be like that! Call me Kuo! Or Kuo-chan!" Kuo—uhhh, I mean, Mikuo ran over to the counter and leaned close with his toothy grin. "Miss me?"

I groaned and slapped myself in the face. To this, Kuo responded back with a frown and leaned back muttering, "One of these days, you'll regret this."

"What brings you here?" I asked, trying to move on the useless conversation.

"Ah, yeah, Matsuda-chan wanted a blueberry icee before we hit the deck." Mikuo grinned. "We have a live performance today."

Before we go on, let me explain something. Mikuo is the leader of this band called "the UTAU." His band has three members including him, Matsuda Ppoiyo, and Shou Kaneyama. Kuo is the vocalist as well as the main guitarist. The second is Matsuda Ppoiyo, or Matsu for short. He's the bass player and a true kuudere. Sometime I wonder how he got influenced into joining Mikuo's stupid band. There's not much to say about him except he's a blueberry addict and his hair is the color of the sky with white highlights on both sides of his temple. Lastly, there's Shou Kaneyama, the drummer. Like Matsu, there's not much to say about him except the fact that he believes in self-manliness and is somewhat of a pervert.

"Cool. What time?" I asked.

"In about..." he checked his phone. "...an hour or so."

"Here," Matsu appeared with his cup of icee. He had on his usual bored expression. "How much?"

I shook my head. "My treat."

I swore I saw a little smile form on his lips as he thanked me and left the shop with Shou following behind him. Kuo slapped my shoulder whispering, "Wish us luck," and left to follow his band. I took a glance at my phone in my pocket and saw it read almost five to nine. My shift would end soon so I went to the back office to grab my stuff and got ready to go. When my boss arrived and switched positions, I headed outside into the cold dark night.

"Hey." I heard a deep voice call out to me. "Give me your money."

My life would never end, would it?

"Are you deaf? I said give me all your money!"

I turned my head to the direction the voice came from and took a deep breath. Standing a couple meters away from me were five tall masculine gangsters looking at me with looks that could kill. Each started spitting out their lit smoke to the ground as they walked towards me with a spicy grin on their faces. I muttered something inappropriate and looked away. I swore I wouldn't fight anymore. All the fights I've gotten into was all in the past. I swore I wouldn't do it ever again. I wouldn't—

"Give me your money, stupid!" the same voice called out again.

And with that, I began to run.

"Hey! Get back here!" another voice shouted. The chase began with me playing the role as the mouse and the five people behind me as the hungry cats. Are mice good to eat? They're so small! Why would cats want to eat them in the first place? I ran as fast as I could while crashing into people in the process. I huffed while running through the town which seemed like a maze. One wrong turn could make you stuck. Unfortunately, God must have wanted me to get stuck and beaten to death because I found myself in a narrow alley with a dead end. The five gansters finally catched up and formed a little smirk on their faces.

"Here little kitty," the one in the middle who seemed to be the 'leader' of his group smirked. Oh yeah, I'm a cat now? I thought I was the mouse? "Are you having a little trouble?" The rest of the gang howled into laughter as I gritted my teeth.

"Stay away." I snarled, moving backward until my back made contact with the wall.

"I'm scared. Someone save me!" the gang on the far left mimicked in a girly voice which caused the others to laugh even more.

"I'm warning you, stay away!" I growled, my blood beginning to boil.

My warnings didn't seem to fix the problem. It only made them want to come even more.

"I said—"

A door on one side of the wall cracked open and a person walked out. A girl came out wearing a white blouse and a black skirt down to her knees.

"Shoot." I muttered. Bad timing. Seriously, what's wrong with my life?

"Akaito-kun?" the girl said, facing me with a curious look. She was clearly not aware of the gang behind her. She walked over to me with a warm smile on her face. "You're Akaito, aren't you? Akaito-kun! What are you doing in a place like this?"

_Go back inside!_ I shouted inside my head, begging her to go away. But it was too late. The leader placed his hand on her shoulder.

"Now, look what we have here?" he smirked. "Your girlfriend perhaps?"

"You going to bring her into this mess?" one member leaned toward her closely, his face close to her neck. "Well I don't mind one bit."

"Akaito-kun?" Gumi's smile began to fade. "Are they your friends? You have such...interesting...friends..."

What's her name? Miggle? Meg? Gum? No...oh yeah! "Gumi!" I took a deep breath and positioned myself close to her. I couldn't take it anymore. They crossed the boundaries. Once they do, I snap.

"Stay," I clenched my fist behind, "away from her!" and with that, I punched his face and he stepped back with both hands on his bleeding face. I gasped for air not believing what I did just now. My promise. The promise I made in the past... It—

_Smack!_

"Akaito!" Gumi screeched as I fell on the ground hard on my knees. While I dazed into nowhere for a second, one of the gang member found time to punch me directly on my stomach...hard. "Stop!" she cried. "Just stop it now!" Gumi pulled on my arm trying to drag me away from them.

"You should go away," the leader warned. "Unless you want to end up like him. For example, like this—"

A sharp stab went through the left side of my temple and I screamed. Screamed like I never did before. It stung like hell. I felt small pieces of glass crash on the floor after it made contact with my face; following it was a river of blood rushing down my cheek. Drip by drip it fell on the floor, onto the broken glass. Even though it was covered in red, I saw my reflection on the glass. There I was, looking like a madman who didn't shower in days. The moon was far away in the indigo background, reflecting on the mirror. I looked...hideous. It was just...disgusting...

"Akaito!" Gumi shoved the broken glass away with her bare hands. "Stay still! Don't go down! Don't leave me!" she screamed. "Don't—" one gang grabbed her shoulder once again and pulled her back. She pulled away and stood in front of my like a shield with tears rolling down her pale cheeks. One of the tears rolled down her chin and dropped in my hand. It was...warm...and...it burns...

That was when I snapped.

Punching and kicking the gangsters, one by one they fell on the floor and blood smeared everywhere on my clothes. "How does that feel?" I sneered. "Fun? Delightful? Exciting?" I pulled one of the men by the collar and pulled him close to my face. "Wanna play more? Let's—" But before I could finish, a touch of something cold like ice grabbed me and pulled me out of the alley.

"Run!" she shouted.

And so, a girl and boy; holding hand by hand, ran which seemed forever like little mice while police sirens in the background roared on the streets.


	3. Chapter 2

**The song "Midnight Circus" sung by Sunny Hill is really addicting. :D**

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><p><strong>Chapter 2<strong>

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><p>The story of a weird girl with green goggles and the violent boy with red hair.<p>

Its not a story you hear everyday... right?

"A-a-akaito!" Gumi panted and tugged the sleeve of my mantle, halting me to a stop when we approached our neighborhood. We ran all the way home without stopping even once to take a break. Looking behind me, there was no sign of someone chasing us so I knew we were safe for now. What surprised me next was a sound of someone laughing. Turning back, I saw her laughing. Laughing like this was a joke.

It was sickening and made me mad for some reason. Did she think this was all an act? Does she enjoy this? Why is she laughing?

"Gu-"

"That was so fun!" she giggled.

...Fun?

"That was so cool! You should've seen yourself!" Gumi started imitating me from earlier and starting punching the thin air. "You were like _pow_! And hit that bully like _ker-pow_!"

Ker-pow?

I clicked my tongue getting annoyed and started to walk home but a hand grabbed my wrist and pulled me back.

"Wait!" the annoying green haired alien kept tugging until I wouldn't move. "We gotta clean that cheek of yours!"

"I'm fine." I replied dully and turned to walk away but the little green alien kept holding onto my wrist.

"No! Let me help you!" she insisted and dragged me to her house.

Oh joy.

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><p>I sat on the couch as Gumi walked off to find the first aid kit. Every object in her house is either green or orange. There's even pictures of carrots hanging on the wall! From what I see, I can easily tell she lives by herself. The room is a mess. No, the whole house is a mess. It's natural for a room to be messy like this when a parent or guardian isn't living with their child. How do I know this? Because Kaito and I live by ourselves as well.<p>

"I found it!" Gumi yelled from a room and skipped back to the living room with an orange kit in hand, smiling like a little child. "Does it hurt?" she asked, sitting on the seat next to me and opening up the first aid kit.

"No," I lied. "I'm fine."

"Really?" Gumi grinned. "I think you're lying to me. It looks like it hurts really bad."

"That's not- ow!" I winced and tried to pull away but Gumi held on and started dabbing a piece of cotton with alcohol on it to my wound.

She blew on the swollen wound so it wouldn't hurt as much and patted my head. "Nice job! Good job holding it in." she smiled. "You were really brave."

"Am I a little kid to you?" I asked annoyed.

"Yep!" she answered and stuck a large bandage shaped like a carrot on my cheek. She started clapping. "All done!"

I looked at her with an expressionless look. The moment I first saw her, I knew she and I wouldn't get along. She's so... childish.

"You were so cool back then." the green alien gushed. "I thought you were one of those old cranky grandpa when I first met you."

… old?

"But I was wrong." the alien looked down and I saw a glance of red hue on her cheeks. "You're a really nice and amazing person."

The sides of my mouth went up revealing a small smirk. Nice and amazing? She didn't know the real me.

"You should smile more often." she continued. "Frowning makes you look like you're tired of life and have nothing better to do."

"It's getting late, I should go now." I stood up and sighed. "You should sleep early. Today was a tiring day for both of us."

Gumi stood up and tugged on my sleeve. "Can you... stay the night?" she whispered.

Excuse me? "What?"

She blushed and rambled on random excuses. "Well, what if those guys break in the middle of the night and take me away? What if the house catches on fire and I'm stuck? What if there's an earthquake? What if-"

"Okay okay I got it." I sighed and sat back down. "Do you have a phone? I need to call my brother."

All the brightness reappeared on her face and she looked happy. "Yeah I do!" she exclaimed and ran off to find a phone.

_It's only for one night._ I mumbled to myself. _Just one night..._

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><p>"Akaito-kun?" someone whispered and poked my cheek. "Are you sleeping yet?"<p>

I groaned and rolled on the couch to face the opposite side, facing the alien who just whispered to me. "Not if you keep talking to me." I replied in a bored tone.

She giggled and sat on the wooden floor, hugging her carrot pillow tightly as she can. "That's good."

Glancing at the clock sitting next to the television, it glowed 2:45AM in red neon colors. I groaned again. We arrived here at 10PM and slept sometime around midnight.

"Akaito-kun?" Gumi asked, wondering if I fell asleep.

"What do you want?"

"I... I don't know." she responded.

"You wake me up at two in the morning and tell me nothing?" I snapped.

"I had a bad dream, that's all." she hugged her huge carrot pillow and hid her face with it. "I got scared and woke up."

Childish...

"Do you want to tell me about it?" I offered.

Gumi shook her head telling me her answer is a no.

"You wake me up telling me you had a bad dream and won't tell me what happened."

"Yeah." she whispered back.

What a waste of time. "Go back to your room. It's just a dream."

"Akaito," the green alien tugged on my shirt, ignoring the blood stains on it. "how does it feel being loved by a parent?"

"I don't know."

"Do you have parents?"

"Yeah."

"Tell me." she urged.

"I don't remember the last time they did something for me." I answered. "They're always on their stupid business trip."

"But they go on those trips to earn money to support you and your brother." Gumi quickly said.

"That's true... I can't argue with that. But they work all the time. They don't even take a break on national holidays nor on my birthday. It's always me and my brother... and sometimes Luka."

"Is Luka the pretty girl from yesterday? The one with pink hair?" Gumi suddenly became excited.

"She-"

"She's so pretty!" Gumi gushed and daydreamed about their first meet yesterday. "Beautiful like a model. She has a great voice! It's so husky! I love voices like hers. I'm actually jealous-"

"Stop." I growled and turned on the couch so my back would face her. "Go back to your room."

"Akaito?" I feel her frowning and looking at me. "What's wrong? Did I-"

"Nothing just go to bed." I snapped.

"But I-"

"Go to sleep!" I got up and glared at her. "Or I'm going back home."

Gumi sighed and stood up. "You should be thankful your parents are working to earn enough money for you and your brother. You don't accept their love."

"Love?" I frowned. "Who needs that?"

"Every—"

"Love," I spat, "is a stupid game like tug-of-war. Two people pull on each end of the rope until one crosses the line and falls into an empty pit."

Gumi looked at me with wide eyes. "What? That's not true! I—"

"Believe what you want." I tore my gaze away from her and looked out the window. "That's how I think."

"Love is—" Gumi started to say something but stopped when she realized it was useless to even talk to him. She simply walked back to her room and shut the door. I couldn't sleep the rest of the night so I put on my shoes and walked back to my house.

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><p>"Akaito!" My boss, Big Al, slapped my back and grinned a lazy grin. I never noticed Big Al changed a lot since the first time I met him for an interview to work here. He grew out his brown hair and used gel to spike it. His clothes are kind of the same but now he wears a black and white mantle almost similar to mine with red stripes, along with black baggy pants and tall reddish boots. <strong>(AN: Supposed to be his Taiwanese design. I think he looks cool! :])** "Another day of long hard work. I'm counting on you, my buddy!"

I nodded and put on my green apron, grabbing a wrinkled paper on top of the cashier and reading my list of to-do's for work.

Before Big Al walked out the door, he stopped and thought for a second before remembering something. "Akaito, there were youngsters who came a couple of hours ago looking for you. I think there were about five of 'em? I tried to be nice but they pulled out their weapons and started threatening me. I beat them until they ran away. Sorry if they're your friends." Big Al gave me an apologizing look.

I sighed knowing who he was talking about. Those gangsters from yesterday threatened the wrong person. Big Al is a nice person. He really is. But if you do something bad to him, he won't hold back and beat the crap out of you.

I shrugged. "No, it's fine. I don't even know them."

Big Al smiled and winked but stopped when he noticed my scarred cheek. I quickly covered it with my hand and silently swore. I completely forgot to put on a new bandage when I left home in a hurry after oversleeping. It was all that green aliens fault.

"Did you—" my boss started.

"No, it's nothing." I quickly replied.

Big Al opened his mouth to say something but quickly shut it and told me to work hard. He then walked out the door and went to his car. I let out a loud sigh and leaned against a wall for a couple of minutes before beginning to work. It was an another day of work at the gas station behind the counter. People went in and out the doors after buying something to eat or paying the gas bills. Even though I tried my best covering the scar on my cheek with my hair, there were lots of times when people noticed it and asked what happened or if it hurts a lot. Just looking at it made them wince and uneasy. Another day passed and it was almost time for my shift to end. I was re-stocking the energy drink section until I felt a tap on my shoulder. Looking over, it was a girl standing next to me.

"Can I help you?" I asked nonchalantly.

"Looking closer, you're really cute." the blonde-haired girl grinned and pulled her huge sunglasses, revealing her sparkling blue eyes.

My eyes rolled on its own and my hands pointed to the fridge on the opposite side. "The beer section is over there."

The girl looked offended but quickly smiled and continued talking. "That scar near your temple really fits you. It makes you look more like a bad boy. A guy my type."

I ignored her and kept stocking the drinks. Unfortunately, it was going to take more than that to make her leave.

"Name's Lily," she extended her hand and smiled slyly.

Standing up, I grabbed the empty boxes near me and was about to go throw them away until Lily grabbed my wrist and held them tightly so hard that her nails dug into my skin.

"You shouldn't ignore a girl," the girl said, looking extremely pissed. "Especially when she's talking to you."

"So what?" I replied, already bored.

The girl looked surprised for a second and quickly put on her sweet smile. She reached into her purse and pulled out a mini notebook and a pen. Scribbling something really fast, she tore the paper out of the notebook and handed it to me. "My number. Lets hang out when you have time."

I just looked at the paper like an idiot who didn't know what to do next until she shoved it down the pocket of my jeans.

"You're cute so I'll let it slide this once." she purred in my ear and left the shop, leaving me alone in the store at night.

There were lots of time until my shift ended and there weren't a lot of customers at night so I simply sat on the chair behind the cashier.

_"That was so fun!"_ her voice replayed in my mind. "_You were really brave."_

_"You should smile more often."_

_"Nice job!"_

Her voice... It was stuck in my mind. I somehow remember the tone of her voice when she said those words to me.

_"Love is—"_

Love is what? The only love I know is pain and suffering.

I sighed and covered my face with my hands. I remembered my scar and traced it with my finger until it almost reached down to my chin.

Love...

An idea popped into my head and I smirked. Reaching for my cell, I dialed a number and waited until he picked up. When he finally picked up on the second ring, I said, "Hey Kuo, do you have time?"


	4. Chapter 3

**Hello. :)**

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><p><strong>Chapter 3<strong>

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><p>"Are you sure this is the best place?" I asked a little nervously.<p>

"The best one I know," the teal-haired singer grinned.

Mikuo opened a wooden door and grinned telling me to go in. I never knew these places existed until Mikuo showed me. Once we came in the shop, we were greeted by a crowd of girls wearing the same little mini dresses so every male can see their curves. For those who don't know what I'm talking about, I'm talking about a host club. Like I said earlier, I only saw them from watching dramas and never walked into one in my life. I never even knew this place existed. Of course Mikuo being the flirty type, he knew almost every club in town from the bottom of his heart.

"Mikuo!" a teen with teal hair approached and gave my teal friend a warm hug.

Mikuo, who gladly received the hug replied, "Miku-chan!" He then let go of her and pointed at me. "I brought a friend today."

The teal-haired girl who seems to go by the name Miku smiled at me punched Mikuo in the shoulder playfully. "The usual? But with more people?" she asked.

Mikuo grinned lazily and replied with a slow yes as the teal girl went off somewhere.

An another girl approached and slowly slid her arm next to mine and rested her head against my shoulder. "Kuo-kun," she asked huskily, "your friend?"

"Meiko-chan!" Mikuo grinned wider and tried to hug her but the brunette pushed him away.

"Back off." she replied harshly. "He's my toy for today, no one else."

Mikuo pouted but didn't push it anymore. I actually kind of felt bad for him.

"Mikuo we're ready!" Miku smiled and poked her small head out from an open door.

Mikuo wasted no time and went on ahead while Meiko practically dragged me to the mysterious room we were headed. When I went in, I found the room to be quite large and the big table filled with different types of wine and beers. There were three big black couches to fit in about five or more people. Two of the couches were already taken by girls somewhere in their late teens or older.

"Kuo-kun!" every girl in the room cheered when they saw their favorite teal player.

Mikuo grinned and patted my shoulder, slowly taking his time introducing me to everyone. "Starting from the left to right is Sweet Ann, Haku, Teto, Iroha, Miki, Mizki and Miku." Every girl waved shyly at me when he said their names. Meiko dragged me to a seat between Haku and Teto and even pushed Haku away so she could sit next to me.

"Well now," a woman with blonde hair took a bottle of champagne out of a bowl of ice and started to shake it, "to our newest friend, Akaito!" Sweet Ann popped the cap off and the wine exploded everywhere. No one seemed to mind one bit as they were already used to it and immediately helped themselves to the clear wine.

"Here," Meiko handed me a glass of beer, "drink up."

Afraid what would happen if I declined, I took the cup and drank it trying to ignore the bitter taste.

"Eat some of this!" a perky girl popped a piece of bread in my mouth. "It'll kind of help you drink easier."

"Thanks." I whispered, unsure of what I should do next.

"Loosen up, will ya?" Meiko inched closer to me and grinned. "Have some fun."

"Okay," I sipped my glass said, "if you do too."

She smirked. "Of course I will."

* * *

><p>About two hours later, I started to wonder why I didn't ask Mikuo about this place earlier.<p>

"Akaito, it's hot here." Haku whispered, her arms wrapped around mine and head rested on my shoulder.

Women are so easy to play with.

"Want more bread?" Teto asked, already reaching to grab more.

I shook my head and mouthed a little "no" so a sleeping Meiko in my lap wouldn't wake up. To my surprise, she did and raised her head to kiss me as a punishment. Out of all of us, Meiko was the one who drank the most and somehow fell asleep in my lap. Her pillow turned out to be my chest. Did it bother me?

No, not at all.

Teto continued to sitting on my right and Haku somehow reclaimed her usual spot on my left leaving the brunette no choice but to sit on my lap.

"Aka-chan~" a slurry voice called out to me, "you having fun?"

"Never better." I smirked. Mikuo tied second with Haku in the drinking contest. Haku didn't seem fazed at all but Mikuo on the other hand, was a whole new different story. Unlike him, I have the ability to stop drinking when I feel like I can't go on.

"Go away. Get off him!" Mikuo walked his way over to me and pulled Teto out of her seat. Teto didn't care and desperately checked to see if her bread was safe from the sudden movement. Mikuo grabbed my arm and purred against me like a cat. "Aka-chan, you belong to me, remember?"

"Mikuo, you're drunk." I replied.

"No, I'm not! Why does everyone say that?" the teal boy pouted and kissed my cheek. My eyes widened as Miku quickly ran over to try to pull him off me, but Mikuo wouldn't move an inch. He looked at Miki and Iroha who were singing karaoke up on stage and shouted, "Isn't he cute?"

"Mikuo, stop!" Miku frowned, looking embarrassed.

"If I say he's cute then he is cute!" the teal boy slurred again and laughed. He grabbed my head and laid it on his broad shoulder. "Shhhh it's fine. Everything is okay now." he whispered to me like I was a little boy trying to fall asleep after a bad dream.

"Mikuo I'm—"

Everything happened so fast. Meiko pushed him off me with one strong shove, causing Mikuo to fall off the couch. Miku and Sweet Ann had to drag him out the door to call his band mates to take him home.

"He's mine! No one touch him!" Mikuo shouted. Those were his final words before the door slammed shut.

"Stupid Kuo, getting drunk." Meiko frowned but immediately smiled when I patted her head.

"Akaito-kun, it's getting really late," another brunette told me. If I think right, I think she told me her name was Mizki.

"Meiko-chan," I whispered in her ear. "I gotta go. Get up."

But Meiko wouldn't budge an inch and only clung onto me even harder.

"Meiko—"

"I have feelings for you," she spoke in a soft voice.

I stopped. "What kind of feelings?"

"Love." Meiko whispered back. "I...love you."

Why do people say "love" so easily?

"Meiko-chan, I...I don't believe in that word." I smirked. "There is no love in this world."

Meiko looked at me startled. Clearly, this wasn't something she expected me to say.

"The way how you said it makes you seem mysterious." Haku butted in.

"I'll...change it." Meiko grabbed my shirt and pulled me close. "I'll make it real. Starting by...this." The brunette leaned close and smoothly locked her lips with mine. It felt like hours until she finally let go and fall back asleep on the couch.

I laughed.

She tells me love is real by kissing me?

"I love you," she mumbled in her sleep.

Those words surprised me. Those three simple words... I didn't like it but I didn't hate it either. I didn't care about it at all.

Not a care in the world.

But would it hurt to say those words back as a lie?

No, not at all.

For her, it might be a yes. But for me, not at all.

"I love you too." I whispered back and patted her head again. Standing up, I grabbed my coat and headed for the door.

"Are you leaving already?" Iroha frowned. "Stay a little longer!"

"No, I should really go now. My brother might get worried." I sighed and put in a little smile. The girls frowned and followed me like a herd of sheep except for Meiko, who was still sleeping on the couch.

"How much?"

"There's no need to pay." Miki smiled and reached to hold my hand. "Kuo-kun is a regular so it's free."

"Thanks. I'll be going now." I started walking out the door.

"Wait, Akaito-kun!" Iroha ran over and handed me a small piece of paper. She gave me a sly grin. "This is my number. Just call me if you're feeling bored and wanna hang out."

"Thanks." I grinned and headed out into the dark streets.

* * *

><p>I was close to home when a hand reached out and grabbed my arm. "Where were you?" a stern voice asked me.<p>

Turning around, I realized the voice belonged to Kaito. Behind him were Luka and Gumi, both looking at me with a worried look on their faces.

"Nothing. I just hung out with some people."

"Who?" my brother questioned.

"Just some people."

"Mikuo?" he asked.

"He was there."

"I—" Kaito stopped and sniffed my mouth. "Did you...drink?" he asked disgustingly.

"Just a little."

"Drinking is bad for you." Kaito frowned.

"I'm old enough to drink." I told a truth.

"It's bad for your body," he said louder.

"Calm down, you're not my mom. You can't boss me around." I replied coolly.

Luka stepped in and sniffed my shirt. She wrinkled her nose and took a step back. "Is that smell...perfume?"

Kaito's eyes turned wide and grabbed my collar. "What were you doing? You didn't do anything with a...girl, did you?"

I sighed and turned to see the little green alien hiding behind Luka. She wasn't happy nor was she sad. She was just looking at the ground with her fists clenched tightly.

"Gumi, look at me." I told her. It took her a second to realize I was talking to her before she snapped her head up.

"The answer to Kaito's question is yes, I did. We hugged, we kissed and we even held hands. Who knows what else happened?" I smiled, still not letting my eyes leave Gumi. Gumi looked back down and she seemed scared. Kaito let go of me and stepped back, looking at me with shock.

"Akaito..." my blue haired brother looked at me with a strange look. He was looking at me like I was a burden.

"She kissed me first. All I did was politely kiss her back. I did nothing wrong." My words came out of my mouth like water going down a drain. It came out quickly and smoothly. Even my chin raised up so I felt more innocent.

"Akai—"

_Slap!_

Kaito stopped when he heard the short slap while Gumi let out a small gasp. My vision now turned slightly blurry and I was looking at the ground. I didn't realize my hand reaching up to touch the sharp pain in my cheek. She hit me in the same place where my new scar was.

"Luka," I glanced at her. "Is there a problem?"

"Yes," she glared at me and massaged her hand with her other hand, "there is."

"Akaito—" Kaito reached his hand out but was stopped by Luka.

"Don't bother him," she told my brother. The pink haired tuna lover faced me and gave me a deadly glare. "I don't know what your problem is but you've changed."

I smirked. "Did I?"

"Not in a good way." She spat those words out like venom.

I laughed.

"Horrible." she growled and turned to walk home. Kaito followed her like a dog.

"Akaito." Gumi reached out her hand but I quickly pulled away.

"You heard her. I'm a horrible person, aren't I?" I smirked.

"No..." Gumi said. But we both knew she wasn't telling the truth.

I went inside my house not bothering to continue. After that day, I stopped talking to everyone for days. Gumi seemed bothered but was okay with it at the same. But that all changed a few weeks later. No matter how hard I tried to ignore her, she would try to talk to me. I didn't listen and continued ignoring her. I don't even know why I was doing this to her. Maybe because she's too innocent? Or stupid? I didn't know why but I didn't talk to her. I just... didn't. Gumi was too stubborn and continued to try. Soon, those weeks turned into months and she finally stopped. But everytime she saw me, her mouth would open and she would look as if she needed to tell me something. Of course, I ignored her and continued with my life.

I didn't care at all.


	5. Chapter 4 & Epilogue

**It's finally over! Now it's time for me to continue my other stories~**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 4<strong>

* * *

><p>"Lily, that's enough." I smiled and used a napkin to wipe away the cream she smeared on my nose from her drink.<p>

"Eh? Tired already?" the blonde girl sitting across from me grinned and used her napkin to help me clean her mess. "But I'm just getting started!"

"Waiter, please bring us more napkins." I called to the employees in the coffee shop. One worker quickly replied back a yes and went to the napkin section to grab more. Lily decided this was a perfect time and dipped an another glob of cream on my cheek.

"I got you!" she laughed and leaned close to clear the cream on my cheek with her finger. We were so close to eachother that I can hear her steady breathing. That was when she made the move. She kissed me right on the lips. She leaned back on her chair and started laughing so hard that she didn't hear me sigh.

This is tiring. She is tiring.

I need to end it.

"Lily, listen to me."

"What is it?" she asked while looking down at her lap and gently patting her cheeks to stop the red hue from appearing.

"Let's stop."

"Stop what?" she continued patting, still not looking up at me.

"Us." I said sincerely.

"You mean...?" that made her pop her head back up.

"Let's break up."

"Why?" she frowned. "That's not funny."

"I'm not trying to be funny." I stood up and turned to leave.

"Akaito!" she called out to me but I didn't listen.

"Don't call me anymore." I called back without turned my head.

I knew Lily isn't the type to make a big fuss and move on. Knowing her from the short time we spent, I knew she was the type who uses people until she finds someone better. If she actually really liked the relationship, she might stay home for a few days (or weeks) and gain a few pounds before moving on. She's just like Meiko. How do I know this? Because a few weeks ago, I saw her hanging out with a nerd with glasses wearing a business suit. In short, she'll get over me quickly.

"Sir, the napkin." a waiter rushed over and handed me the small stack of tissues. I grabbed it and dabbed it on my nose, throwing it away on my way out.

Now that Lily is over, my new guest is...

"Akaito!" a girl wearing a pink blouse and black leggings smiled wide and rushed over to my side.

Iroha Nekomura.

Iroha is different from Lily. Unlike the blonde who only cares about your body, the Hello-Kitty loving Iroha is the type who actually tries to enjoy with her 'date' and doesn't really pay attention to anything else. I might actually have fun with her.

"Iroha, nice of you to show up." I grinned. She wasted no time and held my hands.

"Did you wait long? Did you eat yet?" she questioned. When I shook my head, she grinned even wider. "Great! I know the perfect place! Come on!" Iroha pulled me into the crowded streets and we walked somewhere taking a few turns before ending up in front of a little cafe. She opened the door and led me inside. I was surprised at what I saw.

I wasn't the _'oh-wow!'_ surprised, I was _'what-the-hell-is-this-place'_ surprised.

"We're here!" Iroha smiled her never ending smile and planted me into a table before sitting across from me. "It's called Sunny Cafe. Isn't it wonderful?" she gushed and looked around the cafe with a dazed look.

"Ummm...yeah..." I responded sickly. Of course Iroha would like a place like this. This cafe is one of those "girly" store where almost everything is covered in pink. The walls are painted in light pink and dotted with mini hearts in the middle. The decorations are stuff little kids would stare at in awe. There were dolls sitting on the shelf, balloons on one corner of the room for little kids to take and almost all the clothes in the room were all frilly. Even the sides of the tablecloth are frilly with laces sewed on.

"I know a pal who works here and I want to introduce you to her!" Iroha talked on and on while looking for her 'pal' around the small cafe. "Hold on, I'll go get her!" she smiled and stood up to go to the employee room.

I made a terrible mistake of calling her.

It took less than half a minute for Iroha to come back out, dragging her "friend" out to meet me and saying stuff like, "Come on! Don't be shy!"

"Akaito-kun, lookie here!" she practically screamed like I was deaf. I sighed and turned to look until my eyes locked with her friend. I smirked. This might turn out to be fun after all.

"Iroha—" the girl tried to say but Iroha didn't listen.

"Say hello to my friend! Her name's Gumi!" Iroha cheered and waved her hand around the air. Thank God no one else is in the room.

"Gumi." I smirked and held out my hand. Gumi on the other hand, looked embarrassed and looked down with her face turning red.

"Hello Akaito-kun." she responded back and shook my hand. "How's Kaito-kun and Luka-san?"

"They're doing fine." I simply responded. Actually, Luka doesn't talk to me anymore and Kaito acts nervous around me. When I come into a room he's already in, Kaito quickly finishes what he was doing and leaves.

"Oh, that's good." Gumi responded. I grinned and continued to look at the green alien. When she caught me looking at her, she looked back down and blushed even more.

Iroha frowned and sat down on the chair. "You two already know each other?"

Gumi nodded.

"She's my neighbor." I pointed out.

A little light bulb popped on top of her head. "I see!" Iroha smiled like she figured out a hard math problem.

"W-w-what w-would you like to o-order?" Gumi stuttered, reaching into her apron for her pen and paper.

"What's wrong Gumi-chan?" Iroha frowned. "Why are you acting so formal?"

"N-nothing!" the green alien stepped back and blushed even more. "I-I need to take care of something really quick. Sorry!" Gumi rushed back into the employee office and another waitress came over to take our order.

"Gumi-chan?" I heard Iroha whisper with a confused look on her face. But she suddenly turned all happy again and started to talk to me about some stuff I didn't care about at all. Everything she talks is the exact opposite of me. It was...hard.

Well...I guess I have to leave her just like Lily.

Iroha kept talking and talking like there was no end. I peered around the room and saw Gumi spying at us from the back of the room where she tries to lay hidden. I sighed. This is no fun at all.

"Iroha." I said, but Iroha didn't listen.

"Iroha." I said again a little louder. It must be her who's the deaf one.

"Iroha Nekomura." I said louder and strictly. That made her shut up.

"Yes?" was all she asked.

I put my right hand on the table, the front of my hand facing up. "Your phone."

Confused, she did what she was told and placed her pink phone on the palm of my hand. I looked at her contact list and scrolled to a '_S_' section. When I found my name, I clicked on the 'option' button and then clicked on '_delete_'. After the _'delete 1 contact(s)_' screen popped up, I pressed yes and my contact information was finally erased from her phone.

"Here," I handed her back her phone. "I'm going."

Iroha looked panicked. "Wait! What about our food?"

"Not hungry." I simply replied and went out the door. This is the shortest date I've ever been in.

Iroha didn't chase me. She was smart enough to know it was over between us. She was now free to move on.

* * *

><p>Hours past since I left the cafe and wandered around town. I saw Matsu and talked with him for a minute. It was the longest conversation we've ever had since I first met him—which was years ago. We walked over to his apartment and I saw Shou. Shou was happy to see me and offered to make fried rice, I gladly accepted after realizing how hungry I was. Mikuo on the other hand, was still sleeping even though it was almost dinnertime. Matsu had to kick him off the bed to wake him up. The three of us had dinner while Mikuo had to starve for not doing his chores. I left their house right after eating but I had to battle Mikuo who wanted to give me a simple good-bye kiss on the cheek before I could actually leave. Shou did some karate moves to knock him out so that counts as my win, right? I found myself sitting on the bench in the park instead of going home. For some reason, I didn't want to go back. If I did, it would be a normal day with Kaito constantly acting weird around me. I just sat there on the bench for hours until the sky turned dark it the weather became cold. What was I doing? I didn't know.<p>

"I don't know." I whispered. I was whispering to the air.

I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. I...don't know anything.

"Nothing." I whispered again.

Girls are...girls. Boys...are boys. Love...is...something...

I remember Gumi telling me months ago, _Love is—_

What is the answer to that? I don't know why but I didn't know the answer to that simple question.

"Love is..." I said aloud. I saw my breath in the air. It was really cold now. I looked down so my eyes would see my lap. I must be a stupid person who doesn't know anything. "Love is..."

"Something wonderful." someone responded. I looked up and saw her standing in front of me with a honest look on her face. But I knew there was something more in her mind.

"Gumi."

"Akaito-kun." the green haired girl sat next to me. "It's cold isn't it?"

"Yes," I simply responded. "Yes, it is."

I could tell she wasn't sure what to say next. Minutes past and we sat in silence.

"You surprised me at the cafe."

"Iroha dragged me there."

"You know," she finally said, "what you did to Iroha wasn't nice."

"I know."

"What you did to all those other girls were bad too. No, it was horrible."

I looked at her in shock but quickly calmed. "So you were stalking me?" I snickered.

"No." Gumi frowned. "Every time I saw you, you were with a different girl."

"Ouch."

Females are easy to break. That's true. I break them one by one. Meiko, Gyuhwa, Rana, Teto, Yui, Lily and Iroha. There's many more to list but I forgot them. I don't know what to do. They don't know me. They don't know the real me. **(A/N: Gyuhwa Hyang, Rana Sorane, and Yui Okashine are all UTAU's.)**

"You either amaze me or disappoint me." Gumi stood up and I looked at her with confusion. "You have all the love from your family and friends but you don't accept it."

"I don't—"

"It's a cruel thing to do if you don't accept." Gumi pointed her pointing finger at me. "So you should learn how to accept."

"I—"

"I might not completely understand, I'm sort of confused myself but I know that I know more than you. I'm a child who doesn't have a family and have to earn the money to make a living while you and your brother sit around and relax." Gumi's eyes locked mine so I wouldn't try to escape. Deep inside, I winced. "I was alone." she whispered.

"That must have hurt." I said.

"It did. It did a lot," she thought for a moment and asked, "Did you ever get rejected in the past?"

I looked at her shocked. That was a really random question. "Yes..." I replied. I didn't know why I was telling her this.

"Is it...from Luka?" she questioned.

"Yeah." I whispered, my head down.

"I...I think you're scared."

I looked up at her and my eyes turned wide. I half expected to see her smirk and blackmail me but she didn't. She was still standing in front of me but she was...crying. Clear drops of tears rolled down her cheek and fell on the floor.

"Your secret is really...interesting. It makes me sad to think you think like that. I think you're afraid of someone leaving you and being alone. I learned from Luka that the three of you were always together when you were little until Luka started dating your brother. I was curious and thought about it a lot. I must admit, for a little kid, you think far ahead. Way too far." she chuckled. "As you grew up, you realized they might get married and leave you right?" Gumi started laughing. "And the girls you dated. Judging from their style and personality, you knew they would leave you someday so you stopped the relationship first! But to you, Iroha was different. You broke up with her thinking your ideal type didn't match hers. You knew you guys would argue a lot since there's particularly nothing in common bewteen the two of you. You seem to be the outgoing type of person but that's not true. Not true at all. Deep inside, you're actually really, really, super duper," she smiled at me like a caring mother would to her child, "_shy_. "

My mouth hung open in shock. I didn't know what to say. She was...right.

"The real reason why you don't accept their love is because you're afraid. Afraid of being left alone." Gumi smiled and patted my head. "But that's not true. There's many people you can look up to and be around with." She pointed to herself. "I'm one of them!"

I looked up and saw her smiling. What made me surprised is that she was shining. With the help from the moon behind her, Gumi appeared to slightly glow. She was glowing like an alien would. I realized something I didn't know before. Gumi is pretty. She's not beautiful like a celebrity but she was beautiful in her own way. Her own unique way.

"I know you think my style is different and there's nothing in common between us but that's not true! One person can _learn_ to_ like_ the other persons likeness."

I didn't know what to do. But seeing her talk like that and crying was...hard. My mouth was clamped shut and not a word came out. I felt helpless. I don't like feeling like this. I...

"I knew there was something about you that seemed different. But what I said is the truth isn't it?" she patted my head and continued smiling. For some strange reason, her smile made me feel different. From then on, I too started to cry. They dripped down like little rain drops and I started choking on my tears. But that wasn't the end of my surprise. What surprised me the most is when she said this,

"Cry all you want. I'm here."

I couldn't take it anymore. I stood up and hugged her.

"Thank you." I whispered.

* * *

><p><strong>Epilogue<strong>

* * *

><p>"Akaiiittooooooo!" someone kept shaking me until I groaned. "Wake up!"<p>

I immediately knew who's voice it belonged to and sat up from my bed. I glanced her unhappily. "You break into someone's house and tell them to wake up?"

Gumi pouted. "First of all, your brother let me in. And second of all, today's a special day! We gotta celebrate!" she began to cheer.

I groaned. For her, everyday is a special day. "What day is it now?"

"It's our..." she paused to make it dramatic and smiled, "100th day together as a couple! Get up you old grandpa!"

"Fine just wait outside while I get changed." I muttered, trying to get my eyes to open up.

"Okay! You better be quick!" And with that, Gumi left the room. I got up and put on my clothes and brushed my teeth. Whatever Gumi planned today, it's something that would make you tired and drop dead on your bed by the end of the day. When I finished, I opened the door and saw her smiling at me with her usual carrot colored outfit and green goggles. "What did you plan today?" I asked when we went outside.

"Today, we're going to the ice cream store!" she grinned. I noticed that she almost drooled just thinking about it.

"Ice cream?" I asked with my eyebrow raised. This isn't something she usually picked. The ice cream store is somewhere Kaito would want to go...

"Kaito?" I mumbled.

"Right here!" a voice said in a cheerful tone. I looked around me and saw Kaito standing about a good five feet away from us, he was wearing the similar clothes as me but in a lighter color. I immediately knew he was the one who suggested to Gumi that we should go to the ice cream store.

"Too much ice cream is bad for you Kaito," a husky voice said to him. I looked at the other side and saw Luka smiling at us.

Kaito approached and grabbed my arm, smiling at me happily like he always did. "Knowing my brother, of course I'll tag along."

"But Kaito, Akaito doesn't have the same tastes as you. In fact, he hates sweets." Luka cut in. Gumi looked at me with a frown.

"Really? Then we should—"

"No." I quickly said as my hand reached for Gumi's hand. "It's good to learn to like something new." I smiled at her and she smiled back with a slight hue of red in her cheeks.

"Let's go!" Gumi exclaimed.

And we did.

**-END-**


End file.
